Den of Delights
by DarkHestia
Summary: several story's which come into my mind. Can be all sort of things
1. Chapter 1

Oculurum Fenestras Animae Chapter 1

Harry couldn't suppress the sigh of relieve he let out when he finally sat at the Gryffindor table. This summer had been the most action-filled till now. The Weasley's at Privet Drive and everything that came of it, the Quidditch World Cup, the happenings after the Cup, the Dark Mark high in the sky. It definitely topped his summer when he was five years old and that was something he never thought would happen, even with magic.

When he was five, almost six, the dog of aunt Marge had chased him up a tree for hours upon hours. He had healed his own ankle -what had an odd and very painful bump in it after Marge'd kicked him with her walking stick- in that same night. The next day Dudley had the unfortunate idea that it would be fun to chase him again, this time armed with pointy sticks, and he got saved by the most unusual looking cat. Which, now he thought about it, looked a bit like Crookshanks. Although it ears were larger and the cat had been spotted like a jaguar. It had pulled hem aside by his jeans and hid him between the trashcans. It had hid him fully. The one part Harry was still visible was shielded from view by the cat himself. Lets not forget the perfectly contained lunch the strange cat brought him after his cousin and friends had disappeared. At the time it had been weeks since Harry had eaten a decent meal. From sunrise to dawn his stomach was clawing with hunger until that cat came along. It had saved him in more ways than one. Not only did he get away from Dudley and afterwards could muster up enough strength to do his chores, he also had feared his body would one day implode from the lack of food. Whilst it had been his intention to stay close to the Dursleys if he'd feel it happening, he had been glad his theory hadn't been tested. Now he knew how silly his idea at the time was, but being a child who lived in confinements like his and the lack of information he could get his hands on -this idea had come from the documentary his aunt had been watching whilst he mopped the floor- who could blame him?

Harry chuckled softly. As if people could implode creating a black hole. The stupidity. Nevertheless it would be interesting to know what the wizarding world mentioned about them. He made a mental note to ask Hermione if there was any information in the wizarding world pertaining to it.

A kick to his shins disrupted his thoughts. "What is it?" he grumbled annoyed whilst rubbing his sore legs.

"You've been out of it the entire time. Did the rain leak into your ears?" Harry looked at him incredulously, was that a sore attempt at a joke? "Never mind," Ron continued when he saw the look on his friends face, "just wanted to warn you your fanclub will probably expand this evening."

Harry unimpressed raised his eyebrow. What was Ron talking about? Sometimes he just didn't get his friend, didn't love him any less because of it though.

"Ronald nothing of the sort will happen", Hermione said. "Don't you pay attention to this oaf (Hé, Ron indignantly said). Colin Creevy's brother is joining Hogwarts this year. We overheard him talking to his friends a moment ago." She pointed out the dripping wet mousy haired boy, whom almost disappeared in the folds of Hagrid's moleskin overcoat.

When the boy was lined up with the other first years he caught Colin's eyes and mouthed, I fell in the lake. His face was delighted as if falling in a lake with an gigant squid in it was every boys dream.

Harry had wanted to comment on this but before he could say anything professor McGonagall walked back in with the sorting hat and threelegged stool where the first years took place during their sorting.

The Great Hall fell completely silent as the hat began to sing.

 _A thousand years or more ago,_

 _When I was newly sewn, There lived_

 _four wizards of renown,_

 _Whose names are still well known;_

 _Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,_

 _Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,_

 _Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,_

 _Shrewd Slytherin, from fin._

 _They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,_

 _They hatched a daring plan_

 _To educate young sorcerers_

 _Thus Hogwarts school began._

 _Now each of these four founders_

 _Formed their own house, for each_

 _Did value different virtues_

 _In the one they had to teach._

 _By Gryffindor the bravest were_

 _Prized far beyond the rest;_

 _For Ravenclaw, the cleverest_

 _Would always be the best;_

 _For Hufflepuff, hard workers were_

 _Most worthy of admission;_

 _And power hungry Slytherin,_

 _Loved those of great ambition._

 _While still alive they did divide_

 _Their favorites from the throng,_

 _Yet how to pick the worthy ones_

 _When they were dead and gone?_

 _Twas Gryffindor ho found the way,_

 _He whipped me off his head_

 _The founders put some brains in me_

 _So I could choose instead!_

 _Now slip me snug about your ears,_

 _I've never yet been wrong,_

 _I'll have a look iside your mind_

 _And tell you where you belong!_

The Great Hall rang with applause as the Sorting Hat finished.

"That's not the song it sang when we were sorted," Harry said over the noise clapping along everyone else.

"Sings a different one every year," replied Ron. "It's got to be a pretty boring life, hasn't it, being a hat? I suppose it spends all year making up the next one." Professor McGonagall was now unrolling a large scroll of parchment.

"When I call out your name, younwill pt on the hat and sit on the stool," she told the first years. "When the hat announces your House, you will go and sit at the appropriate table.

Ackerly, Stewart."

As the first boy walked forward, visibly trembling from head to toe, Harry begon to eagerly looking forward to.. To what exactly? He didn't know himself. As the line of students shrank the eager feeling only grew. If it wasn't for the the hundreds of eyes and ears in the Great Hall he would be squealing with joy like a fangirl who meets her idol. As it was he looked positively delighted.

Finally (according to Ron) or to soon (if you were one Harry Potter) professor McGonagall picked up the hat and the stool and carried them away.

"About time," Ron sighed, seizing his knife and fork and looking expectantly at his empty plate. Harry and Hermione exchanged an amused look which clearly meant, only Ron.

Professor Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was smiling around at the students, his arms pened wide in welcome.

"I have only two words to say to you," he told them, hisdeep voice echoing through the hall. "Tuck in."

Although Harry wasn't hungry anymore, he couldn't help but join in with Ron and the rest of the studenst whilst they erupted in cheers. The empty golden plates filled magically before their eyes. Deciding it was better to eat something than nothing at all, Harry filled his plate with his favorite foods. Lacking any kind of hunger Harry only shoved his dinner around. His chest felt like the balloon it had when he first heard he was a wizard. It took up so much space there wasn't any room left.

"Harry?" Hermione asked a bit worriedly, "is everything all right?

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just not hungry, that's all." It didn't seem right. The bushy haired witch thought Harry sounded much to happy in accordance to his behavior. It was odd, he wasn't acting like his usual self.

"No' hungwe?" Ron asked through a mouth full of mashed potatoes. "Please Ronald eat before you speak," Hermione said disgusted, totally forgetting her former musings.

Nearly Headless Nick, who had been sitting near them, began to speak in his gravelike voice. "You know, you're lucky there's a feast at all tonight. There was trouble in the kitchens earlier."

"Why, what happened," said Harry still eagerly awaiting for the unknown thing. He was beginning to be concerned with his current emotions. How could he be so happy without any apparent reason. It didn't make any sense.

"Peeves of course," said Nearly Headless Nick, looking confused at Harry. He felt like something wasn't quite right with the young boy. "The usual arguments, you know," he continued after deciding that whatever it was, he couldn't do anything about it at the time. "He wanted to attend the feast – well, it's quit out of the question, you know what he is like, utterly uncivilized, can't see a plate of food without throwing it. We held a ghost's council – the fat friar was all for giving a chance, but most wisley, in my opinion, the Bloody Baron put his foot down."

"Yeah, we already thought Peeves seemed hacked of about something," Ron said referring to the water balloons from earlier that evening. "So what did he do in the kitchens?"

"Oh the usual." Nick shrugged offhandedly. "Wreacked havoc and mayhem. Pots and pans everywhere. Place was swimming in soup. He terrified the house-elfs out of their wits."

Hermione knocked over her goblet when the pale ghost said those words. Pumpkin juice spread out over the table landing, as if it was intentional, in Rons lap, staining his trousers as if he'd had little accident. Seeing as no one else got anything on them, the redheaded boy became even redder than his hair and shouted indignantly. Rons spluttering and Hermione's complete obliviousness to this made Harry laugh, hard.

Hermione stared horror-struck between Harry (who laughed at the misfortune of those poor elves, or so she thought) and Nearly Headless Nick. "How – But..." It seemed as if she couldn't make up her mind how to start.

"Hermione," Ron finally got out. This got the others attention. Rolling her eyes she muttered a cleaning spell and rounded in on Harry.

"Do you think its funny what Peeves did?" she hissed angrily.

"What", he asked confused whilst trying to wipe the laugh off his face. "No of course not!" At Hermiones septic look he elaborated. "I wasn't laughing because of that, I was laughing because of the look on Ron's face."

She seemed to believe him since Hermione's attention was now on the ghost.

"There are house-elves here?"

"Certainly," Nick said looking surprised at her reaction. "The largest dwelling of Brittan, I believe. Over an hundred."

"But I have never seen one!"

"Well they hardly ever leave the kitchens by day, do they? They come out at night to do a bit of cleaning.. see to the fires and so on... I mean you're not supposed to see them, are you? That's the mark of a good house-elf, isn't it? That you don't know it's there?"

Hermione stared at him. "But they are getting sick days and leave? They get paid, aren't they?"

Nearly headless Nick chortled so much his ruff slipped away and his head fell off, dangling at the piece of skin it was still attached to.

"Sick leave? Getting paid?" he said pushing his head back and readjusting his ruff. "House-elves don't want anything like that! Merely suggesting it will offend them in the worst way possible."

"They are just confused. They don't know what they want after being brainwashed," Hermione said and she pushed her plate away, refusing to take another bite.

Harry wished he could push away the eager feelings that intensified with every windowshaking clap of thunder. The golden plate illuminated at the flash that crossed the nightsky. The longing for the unknown thing became almost to much to bear. Impatiently he tapped his fingers on the wooden table, his leg bounced by itself. The feelings absorbed everything eround him. He didn't notice Ron's attempts to get Hermione to eat. He missed the entire meal, totally oblivious to Ron and Hermione who were calling him. Not even the desserts could get him out of his head. The clock ticked the minutes away. The last crumbs faded away. The wind howled, the rain clattered on the windows and still Harry was oblivious to it all.

Giving up trying to get his attention Ron and Hermione paid attention to the headmasters speech. The weather became even worse. Harry's heart began to pound erratically. Sweat drops formed on his forehead. It was almost painful to wait any longer for it? He didn't know himself what he was waiting for. Only that it was right around the corner.

BANG –

The doors to the Great Hall opened. Harry swirled around, there it was. The one thing he needed, the thing that was his. His eyes focused, catching the mismatched eyes and his world was all right. Now he knew what it was, what he needed. " _No this.. No no no no,"_ Harry thought. "Bathroom", he said through waves of nauseousness. He ignored the looks his friends were giving him, ignored the electrical shock he got when he brushed past the new professor and didnt even react to Malfoys taunting words.

" _No no no,"_ Harry kept thinking. He couldnt want to get close to that man, discovering every nook and cranny of his body and mind. He didnt want to lock that man away so that he was they only one who could touch him. He didnt want.. Harry wildly shook his head. Trying to get rid of the feelings or at the very least push them away. Only after he stuck his head beneath the cold water of the faucet did he succeed. "It was just puberty," he said firmly, "it had nothing to do with that man. _But why did it happen like it did if it doesnt involve him?_ A traitorous voice in his mind said. He wanted to reply but before he got the chance Hermione and Ron came running into the bathroom looking frantic.

"Harry, we were so worried," Hermione cried out as she threw her arms around him.


	2. Harry's favour (under construction)

**This is a response to the challenge "Harry's favour" by DZ2. Beware that this is only the start of a potential story**

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Harry looked around. It was dusky in the room he put in. Dozens of vicious dogs snapped their jaws through the bars barking like mad. He shivered slightly glad for the place he was standing in. They couldn't get him there. Then his eyes fell on the third cage. It was the only one where there was no barking nor saw the little boy a vicious jaw. Still it wasn't empty. Harry could clearly see the small blur in the middle of the cage. Hesitantly he walked a few paces attentively watching the other dogs.

"Hello little one." His voice croacked with disuse. It had been weeks since his uncle had allowed him to speak. His uncle was a whale of a man with a fat mustache that in Harry's humble opinion looked like a fat hairy caterpillar that could crawl any moment of his face. A second shiver went through his spine. His uncle was in trouble he knew and blamed him. How he could have done anything, Harry didn't know but seeing his uncle said so, it had to be true.

"Boy, come here!" Within seconds Harry walked through the door, slightly out of breath. It was hard to walk when you hadn't had any breakfast or lunch for that matter.

"This is the boy," Vernon barked to the mysterious man. The man was wearing a pinstriped suit with a matching hat. Between his teeth was a sigar. The man drew a breath before letting it out with a cloud of smoke.

"What's his name?" he asked disinterested. The boy whom was called didn't look like much. Certainly not like he could survive living with them. But he needed an heir. His wife couldn't get one and without one the other kingpins would take his family. There had to be someone to take over otherwise... Even though he didn't think... BANG... A priceless figurine exploded out of nowhere. Cautiously the don looked around. Did they break through? How did the find out their home? The only thing out of the ordinary he saw was the little boy.

"I have a name?" he growled to the much bigger man. "You said freaks didn't get any names!"

"Shut the fuck up," his uncle barked. "Freaks like you don't deserve names."

The Don, Palazotto, stood up walked to the gorilla of a man and put a gun against _its_ head. "Let the boy go," he said coldly, "he stays with me." The only conclusion he had drawn, which was crazy, but it certainly seemed as if the boy, the don had missed his name to preoccupied with his thoughts, had made it happen with some kind of power. If there was one thing he knew when he saw it, it was potential. At first glance the little boy wasn't much but there was more to him. He felt it in his bones.

"Get out and if I ever see you at one of my establishments you'll be digging your own grave." Vernon paled in a sickly way. As fast as the fat whale could he left the room, leaving Harry standing in the spotlight.

"Well, what is your name?" Palazotto asked.


End file.
